Penny
by EverythingFan
Summary: Penny Halliwell is the seventeen year old daughter of Piper and Leo. What with possessions, an engagement, a shock pregnancy and a death: who will survive? Wyatt is her little brother, but Chris ISN'T their child. Comment if you like, or want me to update
1. Do What You Can, With What You Have

Penny Halliwell fumbled around in her bag for her keys, and then stopped herself, smiling. She glanced around the deserted street, checking for people. A woman pushing a pram crossed the otherwise empty street and then disappeared around the corner. She pointed a finger at the door and smiled in satisfaction as the lock clicked open. Pushing it open she entered the hallway, taking off her charcoal grey jacket and placing it on the coat hanger.

"Mom, I'm home," she called. When no one replied, she continued walking "Dad? Phoebes? Paige?" she walked further, glancing around the lounge. She went to go up the stairs when she heard someone call her.  
"Well, I thought you had all-" she stopped when she realised that it was Chris "Oh it's you," a scowl crossed her face.

"Nice to see you too," he replied through a sugary mouthful of cereal. She went to continue up the stairs but suddenly turned back.  
"Dad told me to tell you that you're getting a new charge," she informed him.  
"Why didn't Leo tell me himself?" Chris questioned her.

"He obviously has better things to do than sit around, telling you stuff," she told him spitefully, carrying on upstairs. Chris watched her for a few minutes, and then went into the lounge to eat, switching on the TV as he did so.

Meanwhile, Penny dumped the remainder of her stuff onto her bed and went to see her little brother, Wyatt. She entered the peaceful nursery and switched off the classical music that her Mom had obviously left on when she went out. Piper was adamant that classical music would make him more cultured and calm in later life, a theory which everyone else in the family dismissed. She leant over the side of his pale blue crib, stroking his rounded belly affectionately. He opened his eyes and yawned, stretching his little arms skywards.

"Good afternoon, sleepy head," she smiled, stroking his head of fluffy hair.

Then she left him to fall back to sleep, she had work to do. She opened up her laptop and sat cross legged on her bed, to begin typing her thesis.


	2. Everything Has A Moral

Hours later when her parents returned Penny was still sitting staring at the computer screen, her fingers poised to type.

She just didn't know _what_ to write. Tired, she trooped downstairs to see her family.

"Did you have a good day, honey?" her Aunt Phoebe asked her as she entered the kitchen. Penny emitted a small moan and then dropped into a chair at the table.

"I still have no idea how to write my thesis and unless I have some evidence of it by the end of week, my teacher's going to fail me," she complained, dropping her head into her hands.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something, sweetie," her Aunt Paige said, patting her head as she orbed in.

Wyatt chortled happily in his high chair as Leo spooned strawberry yoghurt into his mouth but this only irritated Penny further. She sighed, threw her hands up in the air and left, resigning herself to going to bed.

---

Penny lay in bed, thinking.

But a knock on the door disturbed her.

Who dares disrupt my very important thinking? She thought with anger, but jumped up to answer it despite herself.

"Yes?" Chris stood there, looking slightly surprised. He soon regained his usual expression of cocky annoyance, however.

"Piper told me to bring you this," he indicated the tray in his hands which she hadn't noticed until now. Two slices of toast and a bowl of steaming tomato soup. She could feel her stomach rumbling as she looked at it and her mouth watered.

"Thanks," she told him as he handed her the tray.

"Don't thank me, thank your mom," he replied.

She nodded as he walked back down the stairs, and then went back into her room to eat her dinner.

---

Penny awoke the next morning, feeling surprisingly cheery. She walked downstairs to be greeted by her entire family in the kitchen.

She sat down beside Paige at the table and tucked into the plate of waffles covered in maple syrup her Mom placed in front of her.

"Did you get the food that I sent up to you last night?" Piper asked.  
"Yeah, um, it was tasty thanks Mom," Penny replied, sipping from a glass of orange juice.

"Is something bothering you, honey?" Phoebe questioned her, pausing in eating her muesli. Penny had been looking away distantly but then realised someone was speaking to her.

"No, no nothing. Well I have to get to college, so I'll be seeing you," she babbled, grabbed her bag and rushed out of the house.

The others all glanced around at each other.

"Well something's definitely up with her," Chris decided and they all turned around to shoot him disapproving looks.


	3. Ignorance Is Bliss

"Moulin Rouge, Romeo and Juliet, Strictly Ballroom, what do these films all have in common?" the lecturer, Mrs Cole asked. No one answered.

"Anybody?" then Mrs Cole spotted Penny, third row up, middle seat, doodling and paying absolutely no attention.

"Miss Halliwell?"

Penny's head popped up and she blushed. "Um…they all have really good costumes?" Mrs Cole smiled widely.

"Correct."  
"And they're all directed by that guy?" one of the other students asked.

"Is that what you kids call people, just that guy? One day I'll be known simply as that woman," the whole class laughed. Then the bell went and they all packed up. "Remember you need to have evidence of your thesis by Friday."  
Penny's' cell phone rang just as she was walking out of class. It was her Dad. Fumbling around, she managed to grip it in her palm by the fifth ring.

"Hey Dad," she greeted him, leaning the phone between her shoulder and cheek whilst putting her books back into her oversized handbag.

"Hey sweetie. Could you do me a really big favour?" he asked.

"Depends on how big."

"I need you to check in on Chris for me, make sure he's looking after his new charge, Natalie."  
"You gave him a female charge! Are you out of your mind!" she exclaimed, loudly then blushed slightly when she noticed the people around her jump at her outburst.

"No, I trust him."  
"Are we talking about the same Chris here?" Penny questioned, rounding a corner and heard her Dad sigh slightly at the other end of the phone.

"Just go and check on him please. He should be at P3, he said he would be there all day," Leo informed her.

"Okay, but this is the last time I do you any favours." And with that she hung up.

---

Arriving at P3, Penny found it completely empty. Her mom not being there was freaky enough as Piper practically lived there, but the fact that Chris wasn't lounging around, flaunting that he hadn't done anything all day, was even weirder.

She tried to push the door to the back room open but it wouldn't, so she orbed inside.

Chris was in there, wearing a t-shirt and his boxer shorts. He placed his beer bottle on the table and fell onto the couch with a heavy sigh.

"Hey," she greeted him.

"Hey," Chris replied automatically.

Penny looked him over and crossed her arms in front of her in disapproval. Chris glanced up at her and then suddenly he jumped up and held his trousers in front of him, trying and failing to cover himself.

"Oh, Penny, hey! I didn't know you were coming here," he said.

"I can see that. Are you drinking beer?" she enquired, her eyes flicking over the state of mess in the back room.

"I was going to pay for that," he told her.

"Chris, what are you doing sitting around here? Aren't you supposed to be getting to know your... new charge?"

Just then, Natalie walked into the room, wearing only a shirt that Penny could have sworn she'd seen Chris wearing that morning.

"Oh, uh, hi," Natalie blushed, her pretty blue eyes blinking rapidly.

"Ok, look. Before you get mad, you were the one who wanted me to have a charge in the first place. Remember?"

"No, it was Dad and he wanted you to protect her," she replied.

"Oh, he was using protection," Natalie informed her, in a little bimbo voice, well, what Penny thought sounded like a bimbo voice.

"Yeah, I don't think that's what she meant," Chris told her patronizingly.

"Chris, are you out of your mind? Aside from this being totally out of line, it's completely against the rules."

"Yeah, you're one to talk."

"Oh, I don't think that's her point," Natalie said, and they both turned to give her doubting looks. "Why don't I just, um ... leave you two alone?" she decided and backed through the door she entered in.

"Look, I was just having a little fun. What's the big deal? It's not like I have anything pressing to do, anyway," Chris told her, crossing his arms.

"You don't have anything pressing? Then why exactly did you come back from the future in the first place?" she asked angrily.

"Uh ... I don't know," he shrugged "I forgot."

"You forgot? Oh Dad's gonna be so pleased when he hears about this," she told him and orbed home angrily.


	4. I Love Humanity But I Hate People

Phoebe and Paige were both there when Penny orbed into the sitting room.

"Where you been, sweetie?" Phoebe asked, turning to face her.

"P3."

"And why were you there?" Paige questioned.

"Dad wanted me to get check on Chris and his new charge," she slumped into an armchair and folded her feet underneath her.

"So, how was it going?" Paige added.

"Well, um, I found Chris… and his charge," she told them.

"That's good," Paige replied but Penny shook her head "Isn't it?"

"She was wearing his shirt," Penny responded "And _only _his shirt," her Aunts shoot each other glances "Dad is gonna go postal."

"You should tell Piper."  
"And why would I tell Mom exactly?" Penny asked.

"Because she's better at telling Leo things than anyone else, especially something concerning Chris."

Penny considered it for a moment.

"That's true. She does have a way with words," she turned to her Aunts "Thanks."  
"Don't worry about it," Paige smiled as Penny orbed upstairs.

---

Penny was reading her _In Style _magazine when her mom knocked on the door.

"Come in," Penny called.

"Phoebe told me you wanted to speak to me," Piper took a seat at the end of the bed. Penny sat up, put her magazine down beside her and cross her legs over.

"Okay, so… Dad asked me to go check on Chris today at P3 and, something happened," Penny began.

"Oh, he didn't come onto you did he?" Piper's face became horrified.

"No! God, nothing like that," she exclaimed "No, I found Chris's charge, Natalie. Wearing only his shirt," realisation spread across her Mom's face.

"Chris slept with his charge," Piper said slowly.

"Yeah," Penny nodded.

"And you want me to, what?"

"Well, I was hoping you would tell Dad, you know, you just seem to have a way with telling him things," Penny explained.

"Well I'll try sweetie, but you know you're father isn't going to be pleased," Piper stood and walked out. Penny watched her leave and hoped that everything would work out because as much as she disliked Chris, she didn't want to see him get hurt. Well, more than that she didn't want her Dad to kill him and have the Elders to deal with.

She decided to try and avoid it all by escaping out of the house, so she orbed downstairs, grabbed her coat and then orbed over to outside her boyfriend, Ryan's dorm room. She knocked lightly on the door and waited until he opened the door.

"Hey baby, what's-" he didn't even get to finish his sentence before she covered his mouth in a kiss. He was surprised but soon responded, pulling her further into the room. Deftly, she pushed the door shut with her foot.


	5. You Know Me, But I Love You

Later…

"You know, you should wear this shirt more often," Penny admired the crisp white shirt she was wearing and began dancing around the room.

"But it looks so great on you," Ryan complimented, watching her from where he lay on the bed, partially covered by the duvet.

Penny crawled along the bed towards him and laid her head on his chest.

"I need to go," she told him, listening to him breathe.

"You always need to go. Do your family need you right now?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"Well, no but-"he interrupted her.

"No buts. You are staying, whether you like it or not," he pulled her chin up and kissed her lightly on her mouth.

---

"Penny said she'd be home half an hour ago, where is she?" Piper fretted, checking the wall clock.

"She's with Ryan, let the girl have some time off, Piper," Paige told her sister, who frowned.

"I'm not so sure I like that boy," Piper decided as Leo orbed in.

"What boy?" he asked, kissing her cheek.

"Ryan," Piper continued scowling.

"Penny's old enough to make her own decisions on boys, just trust her," Phoebe advised Piper. In perfect timing, Penny orbed in.

"Sorry I'm late, Ryan had class, so I offered to walk him," Penny panted, taking a seat at the table.

"That's fine, you're here now," Piper smiled.

As Leo set the table and Piper went to get salad garnish out of the fridge, Penny turned to Phoebe.  
"Did Mom tell Dad about the Chris thing?" she whispered across the table.

"I think so. He seems surprisingly calm though doesn't he," Paige commented, watching her brother-in-law closely.

Piper suddenly took Leo into the living room and they could hear them speaking quietly. Then he yelled 'What!' The other three women exchanged glances and hurried into the living room.

"Leo, calm down," Piper told him soothingly.

"Calm down? I'll calm down, when I've killed Chris!" he exclaimed. Right on time, Chris orbed in.

"Chris!" Penny exclaimed and leapt at him, orbing him to P3.

---

"What was that all about?" he asked.  
"Mom told Dad about you and Natalie," Penny explaining, panting. He stared at her for a few moments before she felt his eyes on her face. She looked up and blushed. "What?"

"You did that for me. You don't even like me," he said softly.

"I did it for Dad. He would have only got in trouble with the Elders and that wouldn't help anyone," she corrected him.  
"Which, in turn, helps me," he grinned.

"I suppose," she replied, sitting on one of the barstools. He sat down beside her, and crossed his arms. They both looked up at the same time and held the gaze. Then he put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Suddenly, she jerked her head backwards, pulling away.

"What are you doing?" she paused "More to the point, what am I doing?" Without answering he stepped really close to her.

"I don't know, but maybe we should do it again and find out," and for some unknown reason, she didn't resist as he kissed her and then carried her into the back room.


	6. I'm Gonna Cry Now

Penny stood up and turned around to do up her bra.

"Is this really the time to be modest?" he commented cockily, which she ignored.

Then she pulled on her jeans and top, running her hands through her hair to try to detangle it. "Where are you going?" he asked, grabbing her arm to spin her round.

"Chris, this was a mistake. My mistake. I let us do this and, and it will never happen again," she tried to pull away but he held fast.

"Maybe it wasn't a mistake, maybe it was meant to happen," he replied.

"You're a Whitelighter, I'm a witch, it's never going to work," she answered simply. He pulled her into another kiss, longer, more passion filled.

"Then why do I feel this way when we do that?" he asked.

"You shouldn't," and she pushed him off and ran away.

---

She ran along the street, the tears streaming down her cheeks, her feet aching, chest heaving. She arrived at Ryan's door, tired, emotional and heavy with guilt.

Ryan opened the door with a smile on his face but when he saw her tears, his face creased in concern.  
"What's wrong honey?" he asked and she almost broke down again at the look of utter compassion all over his features.

"I, we need to talk," he nodded and brought her in, then they both sat in the lounge. She sat but then stood up again and then started pacing.

"What is it?" he questioned.

"I slept with someone. Someone else. And I'm sorry and I want to-" he interrupted.

"Please leave," he told her quietly.

"But, Ryan…"  
"GET OUT!" he yelled. She was so shocked that tears sprang to her eyes but she obeyed him, grabbed her bag and left.

---

She walked home, because if she orbed she would arrive instantly and she couldn't deal with all of them asking questions right now.

She was heavy and with her free hand she wiped the tears which had cascaded down her cheeks.

Penny walked slowly up the steps to the house, then entered it and went straight to her room, ignoring the others that she could hear in the kitchen. Then she collapsed onto her bed and cried herself to sleep.


End file.
